A cheeky pop quiz with Fringe performers Big Chick Energy Sketch

Toronto-based quintet troupe close out three shows with performance July 27 at The Staircase Studio Theatre. 

While warming up before their debut at Hamilton’s 20th Fringe Festival with My Best Friend’s Sketch Show, performers Alicia Carrick, Jo Anne Tacorda, Sam Sexton, Julia Jones and Emily Decloux, of the Toronto-based Big Chick Energy Sketch troupe sat down to discuss some pressing matters at heart: superpowers, emojis and what kind of dessert they would be. The following is a fun candid, pop quiz-style interview bursting with personalities and laughs just like their show.

Describe your life using a film title.

Alicia: Country Goes City Goes Chicky 

Jo Anne: All My Life I’ve Been Told to be Quiet but I Refuse (to quiet) My Colourful Melody

Sam: Opposites Attract 

Julia: Calm Down Everything’s Fine 

Emily: Emily Tries Literally Everything 

What is your spirit animal?

Alicia: Ruby, my pet cockapoo. She is me, I am her, we are all together. 

Jo Anne: Unicorn Pegasis

Sam: Mocking Jay

Julia: Housecat. They are very timid and can be a little bit stand-offish, once they get to know you they are very warm and cuddly, and a little bit too comfortable with you sometimes. And they also like to sleep and eat and be near people they like. So it’s kind of like how I approach people. 

Emily: A scorpion because I’m a Scorpio. If we’re besties, that’s great and all and I won’t sting ya but if you mess with my friends that stingers’ coming out!

What would it be if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life?

Alicia: Spicy Tuna Roll (with Avocado, sometimes) 

Jo Anne: My mom’s Sinigang (Filipino sour savoury soup)

Sam: Pizza

Julia: Pizza

Emily: Pizza. We order a lot of pizza, that’s what we spend all our money on. Julia adds, “Most of our troupe budget is on food and catering.”

Part B:

Since the ladies refuel with pizza regularly, this question has a Part B; pineapple on pizza?

Alicia: Yes 

Jo Anne: Yes “Especially if the tomato sauce isn’t that great, it adds some sweetness.”

Sam: Yes

Julia: I’m fine with it. (Olives) is probably the biggest conflict in our group, is olives on or off the pizza. 

Emily: I’d rather olives. And green peppers. We don’t get any work done we just debate olives. 

Watch Big Chick Energy reel here!

What is your party trick?

Alicia: Piggyback rides 

Jo Anne: Britney Spears singing impression 

Sam: “Umm I used to do this one move, this one dance move,” proceeds to slap palms on elbows in a hilarious way, the others chime in, “That’s how she won us over. What is this amazing move you're doing!?” 

Julia: I don’t know if I have any … I can make my mouth really small. (Proceeds to show us, and Emily shouts in disbelief.) Julia: I didn’t say it was a good party trick I just said that’s my trick! 

Emily: I can move one eye at a time, that’s pretty fun, people hate it. Like this. (Proceeds to show us. We shriek and laugh.) When I was a kid I trained myself to cross my eyes. So then I was like I bet you if I just looked in that direction I would move one eye at a time. When asked if it comes in handy, her reply while laughing: “When I really wanna creep people out!”

How would you spend $100 million?

Alicia: Ensure my house is well prepared for flooding, followed by donations to charity; to start with, community theatre. 

Jo Anne: I’ve always had a dream of opening a theatrical summer camp with an in-house theatre.

Sam: Charity also. I would probably get a farm with a bunch of dogs, and I would train the dogs to be in the Westminster Dog Show. Alicia chimes in, “And whenever your farm floods you could come on over to my place.”

Julia: I would love to like travel more, but if we’re talking real estate, a theatre event space. There are some really beautiful old buildings in Roncy where I live, I’d like to make this not a convenience store and restore it to the old theatre again, and a community space. 

Emily: I’d buy a house with my husband, and also a film studio and we would make lots of movies together. We’ve made a few horror films together, so we might venture into that. He’s working on an action movie for me to do while I’m in my third trimester next month. 

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What’s your go-to emoji?

Alicia: Cheeky hand covering mouth

Jo Anne: Upside-down smiling emoji 

Sam: Wink 

Julia: I’m not really an emoji person, I prefer to type out my emotions. Like the XD or =) 

Smiley, hearts or thumbs up. 

Emily: Melting face 

Group Emoji: Chick (baby chicken)

If you were a dessert, what would you be?

Alicia: Pumpkin pie 

Jo Anne: Cheesecake, a la mode (with ice cream) … proceeds to debate how to say ice cream ‘a la mode’ style. (A la mode is in fact how you say ‘with ice cream’ in English.)

Sam: Carrot cake, satisfying lots of layers, Alicia chimes in, “Pineapple! So my mom makes a really good carrot cake with pineapple we call, “Carrick cake.”

Julia: Tiramisu. It’s been my favourite dessert since I was 10. My mom’s Italian, so lots of Italian treats. And I love tea and biscuits, that’s my other go-to. 

Emily: Cake! Chocolate ganache, chocolate Italian meringue buttercream. I went to school to be a pastry chef, and now I only use my cake skills for rehearsal. PS. I’d add raspberry filling. Let’s make a cake guys! Julia chimes in, “She made her own wedding cake. She made my birthday cake, she’s very generous. Sometimes there are cupcakes and lemon squares at rehearsals.” 

What is your go-to, getting-ready, getting pumped-up song?

Alicia: “Gimme Some Truth” by John Lennon, proceeds to sing it. 

Jo Anne: My walk-up song for baseball would be: Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.”

Sam: Either: “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus or “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift.  

Julia: Meatloaf and Queen on a car ride, as winding down music too. Double duty. 

Emily: So it used to be anything by Lonely Island, but then I wrote myself an album of songs that were literally designed to be pump-up songs for exactly that purpose. 

What superpower would you want?

Alicia: Third eye opener

Jo Anne: It would be flying if it didn’t make me as tired as running. If it took me a lot of energy like no, so relaxed flying. Chill flying. But now it’s also turned into teleportation if I can’t do flying because I want to conserve my energy. 

Sam: Teleportation because I don’t like really travelling by any of the methods. Flying gives me anxiety. I’m learning to drive right now. (Proceeds to tell us about Instructor Bob. Shout out to Bob.) 

Julia: I’ve always wanted to control time. I never have enough time to do what I want to do so, sometimes I want to pause and then continue and people would be like, ‘Oh my God, Julia, your time management skills! You’re always on top of things.’ And Emily knows that is never true.” Emily replies, ‘I wasn’t going to say anything!' Both hysterically laugh. 

Emily: Being able to read just enough of someone’s mind to know when to like leave them alone. Or like to not say something. (Foot-in-mouth reversal.)

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Why do you love theatre?

Alicia: I like it because of the person-to-person connection and the general magic that can happen when people are sharing their hearts on stage with audiences and the audience with the performers. It’s just a symbiotic, sort of nourishing thing.

Jo Anne: To let my inner child free and be out there and be authentic and genuine. I feel the world sometimes makes us cover up our little inner child and I think we’re the happiest when it can come out.

Sam: I think the theatre allows people to connect on things in a light-hearted way, comedy’s specifically what we do, It allows us to share a message, and uplift people in a way that’s fun and lighthearted.

Julia: Theatre definitely helped me open up. I was a very shy kid. And doing Second City since I was young and into adulthood where I met Emily, it allowed me a space space to fail but also to succeed. I’m allowed to be good at something and bad at something. It’s actually really fun. But also kinda say what’s on your mind, a lot of our sketches, I do say we do try to be political, talk about social issues, women’s health and bodies and we kind of put in a context that is palpable for audiences and people that wouldn’t usually be interested in an all-women girly troupe. We’re not all bubble gum and rainbows, we do actually like … (Emily): “We have a surprising amount of farts. I’m speaking for myself!” Both laugh hysterically. Julia adds, “I love expressing what’s on my mind in a way that isn’t too jarring, and a little bit funny which is kind of nice because I do find that comedy is the great equalizer between so many generations and demographics. 

Emily: I love giving people an escape, time to be away from complicated messy things in their lives. I also really love performing because it’s a really great opportunity to show a variety of different body types. I wanna showcase what different bodies look like. We’ve got a number in this show that you’ll see too called, “Gonna Be Nude.” It’s just like anti-fashion, I’ve turned it into anti-maternity fashion because that’s the stage I’m in. It feels more empowering to let people see a different version, or themselves reflected because all of us look completely different. 

The Big Chick Energy Show is playing at The Staircase Studio Theatre, on Saturday, July 27. Tickets are available here.